


He wears his heart on his wrist

by MorganBartonRomanoff



Series: Avengers Bingo 2020 [6]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: 3+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst and Feels, F/M, Family Fluff, Gen, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Iron Dad, MIT Era, Parent Tony Stark, Platonic Soulmates, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Self-Doubt, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark-centric, slight - Freeform, spider son
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:29:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23753101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MorganBartonRomanoff/pseuds/MorganBartonRomanoff
Summary: Soulmates aren't pre-determined. A soul bond is built upon a special connection between two people, and the bond line that appears on a person's left wrist is a reminder that someone loves you as much as you love them, and that you're as special to them as they are to you.At the age of sixteen, Tony Stark still has no bond lines. It's an anomaly. He thinks he's just not worthy of soulmates. He's wrong.Or, three times Tony's soulmates promise to always be there for him, and one time he makes the promise.Part Six of my Avengers Bingo; Square filled - Soulmates
Relationships: James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe) & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Pepper Potts, Peter Parker & Pepper Potts & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe) & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Avengers Bingo 2020 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1600987
Comments: 34
Kudos: 281
Collections: The Best Irondad/Spiderson Fics, The Best of the Best MCU Fics





	He wears his heart on his wrist

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to my friend Tea for beta reading. You're the best <3
> 
> Written for the Avengers Bingo 2020 by [avengersbingo](https://avengersbingo.tumblr.com)

1.

Going to MIT had been the best decision he could have made at the time, in the middle of another fallout with Howard. He had an offer, he had the money, he had the perfect excuse to get the hell out of that house and away from Howard’s constant disapproval. He’d still criticise him, even when Tony left, but at least he wouldn’t be there to hear it.

MIT was far enough for him to have freedom and close enough for his mother to have peace of mind. He could visit her as often as she needed and be on his way back to Massachusetts the second Howard opened his mouth.

Convincing him wasn’t even hard. He’d only had to say he wanted to go, and Howard had agreed. He’d even suggested to pull some strings, before Tony had thrown the envelope on his desk.

He didn’t need his help. He hadn’t needed it for a long time.

The following summer was torture, but at least Tony had something to look forward to. He took a road trip there, once, when being in the same city as Howard became too suffocating. He arrived in the middle of the night, mid-July, with just the clothes on his back and his wallet in his jacket pocket. He returned home in the morning, filled with new resolve.

He did his best to stay away from him, to cross paths with him as little as possible and then, finally, he was _free_.

Howard was nowhere to be seen when Jarvis brought around the car, so Tony was left to say goodbye only to his mother. He couldn't say he was upset by that, though. It was better that way, they all knew it.

Her eyes held all the sadness she tried to fight back. He'd told her, time and time again, that he'd come back the second she asked him to. Still, he was her son and she was his mother. Nothing could spare her the pain, not with the bright gold line on her left wrist catching the light every now and then.

Tony regretted only one thing in his life, and it was that he lacked a matching line on his skin. He was her soulmate, yet she wasn't his. It wasn't common, and it made things between them even more strained, even though she was his only actual family.

With a last kiss to his forehead and a palm to his cheek, he squeezed her forearm and ducked inside the car.

He did his best not to get buried in thoughts about his mother and how he could be both her greatest love and greatest pain. It never left him in a good place, and he didn't need that right now. He rubbed at the inside of his wrist, naked, bare, lineless, and wondered if he would ever feel what Maria felt for him.

Soon enough, Jarvis was helping him move his bags from the car to his new room, a shared room. He'd promptly declined Howard’s offer to get him an apartment all to himself. He wasn't going to college, away from the man, to feel like a privileged douche. He was going to feel like a normal kid, albeit a bit brighter than his peers. And he actually did want to find friends, real friends, unlike Howard's, who only leeched off his money and influence and fuelled his ego.

Tony swung the door open with an elbow and it banged against the wall, effectively startling a boy sitting on one of the beds. They stood frozen, blinking owlishly at each other in complete silence, until Jarvis cleared his throat.

"Sir?" Tony shook himself off and stepped further into the small crammed space, trying to take it in in stride as he and Jarvis set everything down.

"Uh, hi," the other boy said, perching on the edge of the bed he'd claimed. Tony looked over at him with calculating eyes.

“Hey.” He outstretched a palm, a charming smile in place, always in place. “I’m Tony. I guess we’ll be living together for the foreseeable future.”

“James,” the boy said, gripping Tony’s hand in his. “James Rhodes.” He had an odd look on his face, like he was trying to figure something out. “Have we met? You look really familiar.”

With a dramatic sigh, the younger boy put his hands on his hips and looked away from his new roommate. It was inevitable, considering all the media coverage Tony constantly got, willingly or not.

“Tony Stark. You know, my dad is a grade-A asshole, has a lot of money and hopes I suddenly stop existing one day. You’ve seen my face as often as his, probably.”

“Sir,” Jarvis scolded from behind him, and Tony almost jumped.

James rolled his eyes and scoffed.

“You know, you’re not as popular as you think you are. Anyway, aren’t you a bit too young for college?”

“Are you kidding me? I’m overdue for college. Should’ve applied years ago.” With a whoosh, he turned towards the only man that had taken proper care of him in his life. “I’ll walk you, Jarvis.”

Tony closed the door with a last smirk and a “ _don’t touch my things_ ” over his shoulder, choosing to ignore the answering scoff.

He hugged Jarvis with everything inside of him and stared off in the distance long after the car had disappeared.

Tony was sixteen. He was smart. There were people that loved him. Not many, granted, but there were, nonetheless. He’d waited for months to be able to get away from the manor and have his freedom, his happiness, adventures. So why did he feel like crap on the inside?

He took his time walking back, taking the chance to clear his head with a lap around campus. He’d been there before, sure, but he _got to live there_ now.

All around him college kids ran around, moving in, taking a stroll or just chilling on the grass. Meeting new people, laughing, basking in the sun. And every single one of them, no exception, he paid attention, had at least one line on their left wrist, the entire quad overflowing with colours. And so Tony stood out like a sore thumb, even amidst people who were supposed to be more like him than all of his classmates from the private school he’d been forced to attend up until May.

He’d wondered more than once, if he was just incapable of loving someone enough to deserve a bond line. Or maybe he’d just never be worthy of one, just like he wasn’t worthy of Howard’s time. He chuckled bitterly, biting on the inside of his cheek. No, when it came to Howard, Tony was pretty sure he had no blame there. He’d watched for years as his mother’s maroon line faded, becoming more and more transparent with each argument, until one day a few months ago he’d noticed it wasn’t there at all, even if Howard still flaunted his powder pink one as if it were a Rolex.

He’d never heard of bond lines disappearing. He’d never thought it possible, but he wasn’t surprised either. Thousands of divorced couples with bright stripes as a reminder of what they’d had, and here was his mother, still married to Howard, faking happiness and drawing a line on her wrist every morning with a lip pencil.

Tony’s feet brought him right outside his room, halving his intended walk. With a defeated sigh, he pushed the door open for the second time that day. He had a lot to unpack anyway, better get that out of his hair as soon as possible. The first thing he was met with was the _music_.

He immediately decided he liked his new roommate. After all, how bad could someone with the same music taste as him actually be? "Back in black" wasn't blasting nearly as loud as Tony would have liked, though. He grinned as he bumped the door closed with his hip.

"You like AC/DC?" James was sitting on his bed, back leaned against the wall, eyes glued to a book in his lap. Tony wondered for a second why he wasn't out making friends like everyone else if he was all settled in already. The stereo was sitting in the middle of his desk and he seemed content enough to stay in the room, though.

When he didn’t get an answer, Tony plopped down on his bed and leaned back on his palms. He needed a different tactic, then.

“You not into socialising or something?”

“Or something,” the boy grunted and turned a page.

“Am I something,” Tony squinted at him. James snorted and rolled his eyes.

“I told you, man, you’re not as popular as you think.”

“Yeah, I got that. But considering I’m putting in effort to be on good terms with my roommate, it only seems fair for you to return the favour, which, by the way, shouldn’t be a _favour_ , y’know?”

“Yeah.” Tony blinked.

“Yeah?”

“ _Yeah_ , I like AC/DC.” James closed the book and flung it to the side, focusing his attention on his roommate. “So what are you studying?”

“Engineering, obviously.”

“Obviously,” he snorted. James assessed him for a few seconds and heaved a sigh. “You’re gonna be trouble, aren’t you?”

Tony threw his head back and laughed.

“Oh, we’re gonna have so much fun, Rhodey.”

“Don’t call me that.”

* * *

By the end of the first semester, Tony had dragged his roommate to over a dozen parties, got drunk more times than any of them could count, and yet still, somehow, managed to not only stay on top of his classes, but skip ahead of them too.

By the end of the first semester, Tony had learned that Rhodey only had one soul bond, to his dad, a deep navy blue, and that he was cautious when it came to relationships. Tony teased him that he was just scared of commitment, but Rhodey always retorted that he just didn’t want to end up tied to someone he would grow distant from.

By the end of the first semester, Tony had noticed a pale grey line on his inner wrist. He would absolutely be lying if he didn’t admit he was terrified of what that meant. Still, he was oddly excited. Rhodey was… Rhodey was different than all the other friends he’d had. He genuinely cared about Tony’s issues and didn’t defend Howard whenever Tony felt in a mood to overshare. He was unaffected by his money or all the looks he got wherever they went. And he had some weird way of reigning his friend in whenever Tony lost control.

He hadn’t said anything when Tony had told him about his naked wrist. He’d shrugged and told him he just wasn’t ready yet. And when Tony had said he probably just wasn’t worthy of soulmates, Rhodey had slapped him over the head.

And as terrified as he was of the implications of the bond line, he was also as stubborn about not admitting to Rhodey that he’d been wrong. Tony had his pride, and he’d be damned if he let his best friend laugh at him for being stupid.

His best friend…

Yeah. His best friend.

Luckily, it was cold enough for Rhodey not to be suspicious of Tony’s long sleeves and for the younger boy to hide the offensive stripe from his roommate.

It wasn’t that Tony was afraid of commitment. No, why would he be. He just didn’t want to burden this boy that got him on a whole different level like that. And what if Rhodey thought it was weird? What if he got freaked out and stopped talking to Tony. No, no… It was better for him to not know. It was safer that way. No one wanted a soulmate like Tony. No one wanted to be bound to a guy with a load of mental baggage and self-destructive tendencies as severe as his, to an asshole who didn’t know when to shut his mouth and was more often in trouble than out of it.

Tony was just bad news and Rhodey didn’t need a soulmate like him. He deserved someone better, and Tony… Tony could never be better.

* * *

By the end of the year, Tony had managed to get a _bachelor's_. And for some reason, Rhodey was not at all surprised.

Rhodey also hadn’t been surprised when Tony finally gathered the guts to show him the line on his wrist, steel grey by then, as opaque as they got. His best friend had just snorted and rolled up his sleeve to show him a shiny gold one above the navy blue of his dad’s.

Tony had blinked a few times, holding back both a laugh and _fucking tears_ , and then turned away with a _“cool”_ , as if it hadn’t affected him at all, which, Rhodey knew by then, was utter bullshit. Tony had two touchy subjects, Howard and soul bonds. And James Rhodes knew his best friend well enough to just shake his head and let him pretend.

And so, a few months later, while Rhodey had only finished his first year at MIT, he was attending his seventeen-year-old roommate’s graduation ceremony.

Tony’s parents were also there, along with the man that had helped Tony with his bags that first day they’d met. Jarvis, Rhodey remembered. (Technically, he couldn’t forget, considering his best friend’s constant ramblings about the man that had practically raised him.) He kept a close eye on them throughout it all. And not just him. Howard Stark was in the audience. A lot of people were openly staring at him and he just… seemed to soak in the attention. Rhodey really didn’t like him.

He sat there emotionless, fidgeting, like he was _bored_ , while his only son was getting his degree, which he’d finished in a goddamn _year_.

At least Tony’s mom seemed to be as proud as Rhodey was. She was practically beaming, sneaking glances at her husband every once in a while. Howard Stark was like a storm cloud on a sunny day and Rhodey would be damned if he let him ruin Tony’s day.

After the ceremony, Tony brought Rhodey over to his parents and Jarvis, a grin in place on his face.

“Rhodey, these are my parents and Jarvis,” he introduced them as if he actually needed to. “And this is my best friend,” he announced triumphantly. Rhodey snickered and extended a hand to Maria first.

“It’s a pleasure, Mrs. Stark. I’ve heard a lot about you.” He moved on to Howard next and gripped tighter. “Mr. Stark.”

“Haven’t heard a lot about _me_ , I presume,” the man sniped.

“Oh no, I’ve heard plenty. Mr. Jarvis, great to see you again.” The boy’s expression changed, warming considerably when he turned to the Starks’ most trusted friend. “I hope you don’t mind me tagging along in case you have plans with Tony today. I promised I would suffocate him with my pride of him.”

Tony’s mom laughed and pressed a kiss to her son’s head, and Rhodey couldn’t help noticing how relaxed and happy his best friend looked. He was doing a good job then.

“We don’t have anything in mind, actually,” she started, but her husband was quick to cut her off.

“Yes, and as nice as this has been, I’m afraid I have a company to run. We’ll leave you boys to it.”

“But-”

“Let’s _go_ , Maria.” She tightened her jaw and glared at Howard, a hand reaching to grasp Tony’s.

“ _Ci vediamo presto_ _, bambino,_ ” she told him regretfully with a last sad smile and then turned towards Rhodey. “You take care of him, okay?”

“Always,” he grinned and clamped a calculated hand on his friend’s shoulder, the thin golden stripe on his wrist catching the light. Maria’s face lit up and her eyes shone, a proud look gracing her features, and then she was off.

  
  


2.

Virginia Potts barged into his office with more resolve than he’d ever seen on an employee’s face. She forced him to listen and all but made him take notes as she showed him sheet after sheet of miscalculations and saved his company.

Obviously, he did the only logical thing and promoted her, though it might not have seemed that way to her. He needed someone like her by his side, someone to keep track of all mistakes and to have a tight grip on his schedule.

Tony quickly realised how much he’d been struggling before her. Most days, she was the only power that kept him going (sometimes literally, forcibly, but that’s why he’d hired her). He ran most of the paperwork by her before closing deals and relied heavily on her organisational skills.

And then Afghanistan happened. And throughout it all he kept thinking, what if he didn’t make it out alive. What if he never got to tell her he was sorry for acting like such an asshole. All that time in the cave, his thoughts kept returning to the past, to his parents and Rhodey, and to Pepper who had done so much for him and who he’d taken for granted.

But maybe that was why he didn’t deserve a soulmate. Maybe Rhodey had been just a glitch in the system, and Tony had just deceived both of them with his high hopes. Maybe he’d been right all those years ago and really was a lost cause. But the steel grey line on his wrist kept giving him hope, and even if he was fooling himself, he owed it to Rhodey, and to Pepper, and to everyone he’d hurt by continuing Howard’s business to make a grand return and right his wrongs.

He pulled himself together and used his brain, despite the literal gaping hole in his chest. He got out alive. At a price. But he convinced himself he wouldn’t let Yinsen’s death be in vain. The man had given his life for Tony, despite everything he’d done. Words kept him up at night when he wasn’t startling from explosions in his head.

_Greatest mass murderer in the entire history of the United States of America._

_That is your legacy._

_Merchant of death._

_Are you going to do something about it?_

So he did. He did whatever he could while fighting his demons. And in the midst of it all he lost focus on the people that mattered on another level. He slipped further and further and lost sight of Rhodey, lost sight of Pepper, only focused on one goal.

And then she put her hand in his chest and brought him back to his senses. Why was he still being an asshole, least of all to her?

Rhodey’s words from so long ago, from not too long ago, echoed in his head every time he looked at her.

_You’re not your father, Tony. Don’t become like him._

And he tried. He really did. But there were more pressing matters than his absolutely breathtaking assistant who could no doubt manage his company better than him while looking like an actual goddess. He really didn’t want to pull a ‘Tony Stark’ on her and prove himself to be an even bigger disappointment than his father initially thought him to be.

Obviously, he failed.

Time and time again.

And she stood by him nonetheless, with a pleasant smile on her face that hid a sharp tongue and sharper brain and the patience of a saint, even when she found out about his newest favourite pastime inside of a metal bodysuit. It was really unsurprising that he’d want to test the limits of that patience.

And everyday, he put on a shirt and covered Rhodey’s steel grey line with his sleeve and did what he had to do.

By the time he realised he’d been slowly poisoning himself, he was covered in criss-crossing lines that spread too quickly for his liking. He needed to act before it was too late and he knew there was only one person who could handle it. She wouldn’t suspect a thing anyway, with how difficult he’d been recently. She’d just take it as another one of his impulsive decisions and would play the responsible adult yet once more.

So he made Pepper CEO. _Of course_ he did.

Rhodey couldn’t manage both Stark Industries and working for the army, and Happy wasn’t cut out for boring board meetings. He didn’t trust anyone else with the job, except for one Pepper Potts.

Right after that, for some reason, his brain lost its entire capability of self-preservation, as if there’d been much of it in the first place. But he didn’t have much time left, so… why not live a little? (Because your newly appointed CEO would be very disappointed and upset with you, was the answer he quickly learned and then proceeded to ignore.)

With the whole mess around Vanko, Tony had little time to ponder over his existential crisis, the one he’d been having an on-and-off relationship with since early adolescence. He didn’t have time to notice the translucent blue line on his wrist was going in the wrong direction to be a vein.

He was tired of himself. He had no idea how Pepper handled him on the daily, but since he’d busted down the floor of the mansion, he’d started to realise it was about damn time he started appreciating her a lot more. A _lot_ , lot more.

He was absolutely fascinated with her, had been since day one, and that’s exactly what was stopping him from making a move on her. Rhodey had gotten out of his clutches and found salvation in the army, even if he scoffed at the way Tony put it. Tony didn’t… he didn’t want Pepper to want to get away from him. He wasn’t sure he would handle it, not when it came to her.

But she’d almost died because of him, again, and she wanted out, and he knew he had to let her go, as heartbreaking as it was. It seemed amusing, to some masochistic part of his brain that was dissociating. Tony Stark, heartbreaker extraordinaire, having his heart broken by the only woman that mattered.

He knew he was going to lose her anyway, and he knew that she’d felt something for him too. In an impulsive surge, he leaned in and kissed her.

And she kissed him back.

And somehow the destruction in the near distance no longer mattered.

Later on, after he’d washed away the grime and sweat and blood, he noticed the peculiar stain on his wrist, dropping heavily on his bed and staring and staring, and staring at it with a soft smile. It took him a while to process that he hadn’t noticed a line on _Pepper’s_ arm.

 _You’re not your father_ , Rhodey’s voice kept repeating at him, and every time he thought, _but what if I am?_

What if he was dooming Pepper to the same life his mother had lived? A loveless relationship based on a false sense of duty and guilt. He could never, _would never_ , ask that of her. With a clench of his teeth, he made a decision. He wouldn’t tell her. Not until he was sure she felt the same way, not until there was a bold golden line on her forearm, and he swore to himself that if it came down to it, he would let her walk away.

It was convenient that he’d picked up a few tricks from her and ‘Natalie’ when it came to make-up and Pepper kept some in his bathroom cabinet in case she needed to make him presentable after a rough night. He covered the bond line and pretended nothing was wrong.

Two weeks after she admitted she’d been doing the exact same thing and he was able to let out a breath of relief and show her _her_ , now dark royal blue, line, Phil Coulson tried to hand him a file.

As he guided that missile through the portal, he couldn’t help but think how pissed Rhodey and Pepper would be at him. It was funny, in an ironic way, that they would be most upset by him saving the world and risking his life.

After that, everything went even more to hell. His nightmares of Afghanistan were replaced by aliens and a freezing dark void that sucked the air out of his lungs. The Avengers’ bodies floating around him, frozen and broken, or bloodied and twisted in a heap on the New York streets they tried to protect. Pepper and Rhodey, with their eyes glassy and unblinking, bent in unnatural angles and red, red, red and cold. He’d wake up, heart racing in his throat and covered in sweat, and it would take him too long to realise he’d been dreaming and none of that was real, _none of it_.

It scared him, how his mind could play tricks on him so easily, but he’d be damned if he admitted there was something wrong with him. He hated the idea of worrying his soulmates, and he just needed a distraction to get rid of these thoughts anyway. It would pass, and he’d be back to normal in no time. He hoped.

Tony fell down the familiar rabbit hole, burying himself in work in his attempts to get away from himself. He put everyone at an arm's length, built up all his past defences, terrified of dragging them down with himself. His mother’s face kept flashing in his mind, her eyes heavy with fatigue and devoid of light except when she looked at her son. She'd sacrificed so much for him and he was letting her down. He was letting Yinsen down, a disappointment for Rhodey, who trusted him completely and watched him turn into the monster Tony so thoroughly despised, and for Pepper, who helped him break down his walls only for him to patch them back up.

Tony would never stop attracting threats, because he himself was one. He put everyone's life in danger just by sheer presence and he would never be able to stop. He would never be able to stop.

He never intended to hurt either of them. On the contrary, he was willing to do whatever it took to keep them safe, even if it meant keeping them safe from _himself_.

Admitting he needed help, mental help, had been the first step to fixing the mess he'd made. There was no way Tony could take down a terrorist group on his own without his Iron Legion, without even one working suit. Still, he didn’t have a choice but to try.

Tony shouldn't have been surprised that ass Killian was behind it all, all that death and disgusting human experiments. No, he wasn't surprised. Instead, he was frozen to his bones in terror when Killian told him he had Pepper, torturing her, turning her into one of his unstable failed projects. He was going to kill her and there was nothing Tony could do, despite all his efforts, despite the army he'd built to protect her. It had all been in vain, he'd lose her anyway.

He really should have known better. Pepper wasn't one to just give up easily, she'd spent so many years with him, after all. Even if she was pissed at him and glowing, and hot, he was close to tears and just utterly relieved to see her beautiful glare directed his way.

"You just scared the devil out of me," he breathed out. "I thought you were..."

"I was dead," Pepper finished for him, anger and sarcasm blending in her voice. "Why? Because I fell two hundred feet? Who's the hot mess now," she snorted and Tony _loved her so much_. They'd get through this too, like always, it was what they did. Yeah, she was a hot mess. So was he. What of it?

"Am I gonna be okay," she gasped out. He knew how panicked she must be feeling, how scary the future seemed.

"No," he deadpanned in a humorous attempt. "You're in a relationship with me. Everything will never be okay. But I think I can figure this out, yeah."

He could figure anything out for her. Disbanding the Iron Legion had been the first part of his plan to stop being a moron. The next was to heal his soulmate, and after that, finally get rid of the metal poking at his heart. He had the perfect use for it, too.

A heart-shaped ruby necklace, decorated with his own heart spread along the delicate chain, all the pieces of the shrapnel the doctors took out of him, to remind her that she was the reason he'd become a better man, that she'd helped him overcome so many of his demons, that his heart would always belong to her.

It was symbolic, just like the complementing bond lines on their wrists.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Tony had figured out a long time ago that his happiness could never last. Still, he'd hoped he was wrong. The Ultron fiasco was the last drop she'd needed. He was difficult, he knew that, and he couldn't blame her for needing some air, but it didn't make it easier to swallow.

It was like every time he took a step forward, he made two back. Every time he thought he'd learned a lesson, it turned out he hadn't really gotten it right. There was always something he messed up and resulted in driving Pepper away. And every time Rhodey was there to help him figure out how to make it up to her. Tony never just left things like that, just because he was her soulmate and she - his. He knew from watching his parents in the past that relationships required effort. He couldn't imagine what he'd do if one day his line on Pepper's arm was just... gone.

Maybe recruiting a minor to help him make Captain Stubborn see sense hadn't been Tony’s smartest decision. But in his defence, he'd never expected the entire thing to go that far. They were just supposed to talk things out, and Spider-boy was only there for effect. He wasn’t supposed to get hurt, that’s why Tony had given him the suit. Okay, that wasn’t the only reason, he felt bad for letting a twelve-year old run around the city in a onesie in his attempts to save it. Tony wasn’t a savage, he knew the importance of a proper suit.

Fighting his teammates was another kind of traumatising. That’s what he got for trying to put a stop to the continuous havoc they wreaked? For trying to carry the consequences of his actions? As painful as it was, he tried not to take it in too deeply. He knew all their moral codes were different, but they could have come to an agreement without causing even more destruction.

He was ready to burry the hatchet, he even made the first step forward, tried to help Steve and his feral friend, despite what they’d done to Rhodey, and then the Universe laughed in his face and punched him in his newly patched up heart.

It was… It was Barnes? _He’d_ killed Tony’s mother? _He’d_ murdered the only blood family Tony had ever cared about? His blood boiled in his veins, vision darkening, there was nothing but anger, rage, fury in his head. Later, when he’d had time to think things through, he’d realise that Barnes had been used, the same way one would use a gun. He’d had no control over his body or his mind and was nothing more than a tool for Hydra. That didn’t make the pain go away.

It took Tony hours to get in contact with FRIDAY and have her send him a new suit, while he tried to get his breathing under control. There he was, betrayed, alone, cut off from all civilisation. It felt oddly familiar, elicited a bitter laugh out of him. He couldn’t end up the way he’d started.

Soon enough, he was back with the rest of the people he trusted, the ones that hopefully wouldn’t stab him where his arc-reactor had used to be. And after Tony took care of the kid and brought him home, healthy and safe and excited and with a new suit to keep, he made a decision. He wouldn’t waste anymore time trying to shield the world from monsters that would come from above when he couldn’t even keep it safe from the ones already roaming free.

But he also couldn’t sacrifice his own life in the name of people who would never be satisfied with what he did for them, who would always criticise and demand more and more, until he had nothing left to give.

As Happy drove away from the building in Queens, Tony gazed longingly at the two lines on his wrist and speed dialled his soulmate, who was so tired of seeing him hurt himself for others that she needed physical distance.

“Hey, Pep,” he said the second she picked up. “I know I messed up big time. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

And then he proceeded to prove it to her, that he was done with the self-destruction, that he was done with the _destruction_ . Now that he had her back, he would never let her go, never disappoint her so much that she’d _want_ him to let her go.

She was the one Tony went to after he took away the kid’s suit for being just like him, and the irony wasn’t lost to him.

“Am I doing the right thing,” he murmured with his head buried in her shoulder as she ran her fingers through his hair.

“You’re doing what you think is best for him, and that has to count for something, don’t you think?” She was trying to be reasonable, to give him peace of mind, but she hadn’t met Peter. He reminded Tony of himself, so eager to run into battle headfirst with no regard for his own safety.

“I’m worried he’s gonna do something stupid,” Tony admitted.

‘Look at you,” she grinned, “so responsible and fatherly.”

“Oh, please,” he scoffed. “I just don’t want it on my conscience when he gets himself hurt.”

“Then you have to trust him not to do anything stupid.”

Except he couldn’t really do that. There was something nagging at him and he kept thinking back to his decision to leave the kid unprotected.

And he was right to worry, as the Spiderling almost got himself killed, probably _multiple times in the span of one evening_. Tony was getting tired of running after superheroes just to fix their messes. So he thought, if you can’t beat them, join them. Or in his case, if you can’t stop them, let them join you.

He had every intent to make the kid an actual Avenger, or what was left of them, even if he was going to be sidelined for as long as Tony had a say in it. Rhodey had laughed at him when Tony had told him about his idea, and Pepper had given him the Eyes of Disapproval, but then he’d convinced her the kid wouldn’t actually go on missions and it would be more of a PR trick, both feeding the press and Peter’s own ambitions, and she’d let it slide. She even hadn’t glared at him when he’d asked her to call a press conference for him.

He had every intent to make the kid an actual Avenger, and the kid turned him down. Tony was divided between shocked and impressed and he had absolutely no time to pick one when Pepper informed him that the piranhas were _waiting_.

Luckily for him, his mind was still as sharp as ever, and he was used to making choices on the spot. This one was long overdue anyway. He had a royal blue line on his wrist proving it.

“Hap, you still got that ring,” Tony asked.

He’d thought about it a million times, and it had never seemed like the right time. But it would never be the right time, not until he actually did it. That was the beauty of life, you couldn’t have a perfectly scripted moment, you couldn’t live in a perfect world. You just had to make do with what you had.

“I think I can think of something better than this,” Pepper berated him, but he wouldn’t let himself wonder why she wasn’t surprised or excited to tell the world. (No, he knew the answer to the latter.)

“Well, it would buy us a little time,” Tony offered and she answered him with a kiss. “Like we need time,” he snorted. No, they didn’t, not for this, not for what was between them. They’d had time, too much of it, and if he had to wait any longer to prove to the world that she deemed him worthy of her love, he was pretty sure he’d lose his mind.

As they faced the crowd of flashing cameras and predatory eyes, he couldn’t help but whisper in her ear with a soft smile and softer eyes, “I love you.”

“Always,” she grinned back at him and turned again to address the reporters.

3.

Peter startled him from his thoughts with a cheerful “Hi, Mr. Stark!” as he bursted in the room like hurricane wind, shedding his backpack and his jacket on the way to Tony.

“What are we working on today,” the kid asked as he leaned on Tony’s worktable with a giddy grin, and his mentor couldn’t help but admire the energy Peter seemed to radiate just by _existing_. The man smirked back and rose from his chair, leading the way to a corner where a white sheet was mysteriously covering something. (There was no _particular_ reason to keep them covered, but Tony had a flare for the dramatics, and there had just always been something about revealing an object from beneath a sheet.)

“Well, kiddo,” he started. “Considering we’ve been doing this for a month now, I thought it was about time you met my children.” Peter’s look of confusion mixed with bewilderment was totally worth it as Tony finally showed him what was hiding beneath the cover. “With all the moving around, I didn’t get around to booting them back up until now, but then I thought. Why not play around with the software first, check out the hardware to see if improvements could be made there too, you know, just a fun project.”

Tony was worried Peter’s eyes were about to pop out of their sockets.

“We’re going to work on robots together?” He asked out of breath. Tony struggled not to frown. Was the kid breathing properly?

“Not just any robots,” he said instead. “My first robots. They’re basically twice your seniors, so treat them with the respect they deserve, yeah? Good then,” he nodded without waiting for an answer. “Let’s get to work.”

They worked on the bots for the next three hours, with Tony introducing each one of them, Dum-E, U and Butterfingers, but they were only done with Dum-E by the time Peter had to get going, because _Spider-Man's on the line, Mr. Stark, you don't test May's patience._ The man had to concede that was a compelling point, yet he still offered without thinking. "You could stay the night, you know? And I'm sure Happy wouldn't mind driving you to school in the morning."

Peter froze with his backpack half-slung over his shoulder, looking like a deer caught in headlights, a blush spreading across his cheeks.

"Um... Thanks, Mr. Stark, but Happy's head of security, not a driver. And, anyway, that's not necessary. I uh, need to make sure May doesn't try cooking anything, _at all_ , you know?" Tony laughed, at the truth behind his words and at his flustered face.

"Sure, kid, whatever you say." He watched as Peter entered the elevator. "You sure you're okay to go home by yourself?"

"Yeah, I'll just get the subway. Like everyone else," he pointed out before the doors hid his face from Tony's view.

He let his thoughts roam as he gathered all the spare parts they would need to one side of the lab, to stay out of the way until Peter's next internship afternoon in two days.

They'd made it official after the press-conference back in November, to try and reign in any rumours that might have been spreading. And anyway, Tony wanted to keep an eye on the Spider-kid after his latest fiasco, and a Stark Internship _would_ look rather impressive on his resume.

And after the first afternoon they'd spent together, despite Peter's constant nervousness and the awkward tension in the air, Tony found himself pleasantly surprised. He'd never been a fan of sharing his toys with others, but the kid was respectful, and hella smart, and too damn likeable for him not to grow on Tony immediately.

He reminded Tony of that kid in Tennessee, but at the same time, Peter wasn't like Harley at all. The blond boy had grown to be quite a rascal, if Tony's regular check-ups were something to go by, and Peter was just too... too _nice_ for his own good.

And not only was he nice, but he also had the face of a puppy and the brain of a fully grown scientist. Tony would have suggested pulling a few strings back at MIT to get him in early if he wasn't sure that would be completely stepping out of line. The truth was, he'd become too invested too fast, and he was falling down an abyss at full speed with no engine to fly him back to safety.

And the worst part of it was the pink line he'd at first mistaken for a scratch. Because of course Tony would grow attached to a kid he'd met a few months ago enough to turn him into his soulmate, but he wouldn't be able to grow a soul bond with his own mother.

That night, as he and Pepper were getting ready for bed, he hesitated before turning off the line.

"Honey, there's something you should know," he blurted out, seeking out her eyes.

"What's wrong?"

He took a breath and tried to get it out, tried to admit all the guilt bubbling up in him, but the words seemed to evaporate the second he opened his mouth to speak again.

"Is this about Peter," she offered when he wasn't able to form a coherent sentence. Tony blinked at her owlishly, mouth slightly agape. He forgot sometimes how insightful his fiancee was.

"Yeah. Yeah, it is."

"He's a great kid," she said, and Tony nodded, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Pepper's eyes flickered at the motion before returning back to his face. "So what's wrong then?"

Tony waved the lights off and scooted closer to her under the covers until he had an arm wrapped around her waist.

"Nothing's wrong with _him_. Well, for now, but it _will be_ when he finds out he's burdened with the unfortunate destiny of being my soulmate." Pepper snorted and intertwined their fingers.

"Way to make a soulmate feel special, hon. Can't say that I'm surprised, though. He reminds me of you, you know. Always ahead of everyone and trying to improve the world. Though I guess he did skip the egomaniacal stage."

"Ha-ha."

“Ha-ha,” she mocked him. “I don’t understand why you’re upset, Tony. It’s great that you’re growing closer with someone who clearly needs you as much as you need him.” He sighed and buried his brow in Pepper’s shoulder.

“I didn’t have my mom’s line, Pep. She gave birth to me and took care of me and loved me and was my closest person in my family and I didn’t have her line. Twenty-one years. I’ve know Peter for less than three months. I just feel like a traitor.”

She shifted to face him and put a hand on his cheek.

“Honey, soul bonds aren’t about the time you’ve spent with someone. Soulmates are about that special connection you have with someone. Like you and Rhodey. You’ve known him for, what, thirty years now? And you two still have movie nights every other week. Remember that disastrous birthday?”

“Which one?”

“Funny. When you destroyed the Malibu house?”

“That only _slightly_ narrows it down. I really am a disaster, huh? How do you put up with me?”

“You’re an acquired taste,” Pepper laughed and pressed her lips to his. “You’re missing my point here. Who else would have fought you in your own home, suit versus suit, to try and bring you back to your senses? Do you really think someone else would have bothered? He knows you better than anyone, better than even your mother did. Say whatever you want, but you won’t change my mind that you and him were basically created just to be best friends, and everything else you’ve done is just a bonus.”

“You’re just being cheesy now.”

“Shut up.” He kissed her. Then again. She pressed their foreheads together. “Our soulmates are who they are for a reason. Don’t dwell on the past.”

“Still,” Tony sighed. “I feel guilty, for not being what she was to me.”

“Tony, you had an abusive childhood, it haunts you to this day. You don’t have to blame yourself for not feeling safe enough in your own home to develop a bond there.” She ran her fingers through his hair. “Why do you think Rhodey’s line popped up only two months after moving out?”

“Why are you always so wise?”

“I have to balance out your recklessness in _some_ way,” Pepper laughed. He kissed her again, pulling her in closer, until they were flush against each other.

“Well, come on, now, I think I’ve grown quite responsible over the last few months. What are you gonna do when I become as mature as you? Leave me?”

She snorted out a laugh and smacked a kiss to his lips. “Don’t worry, I don’t see that happening anytime soon.”

Tony rose up on an elbow, raising an eyebrow at her through the thick darkness.

“What’s that supposed to mean? You don’t think I can?” Pepper pulled him back down and slung an arm over his waist.

“It means you wouldn’t like it. It wouldn’t suit you. It would drive you mad. That’s why we work so well. We complement each other perfectly.”

Tony hummed and pressed their lips together again. “We do.”

* * *

  
  


The kid somehow managed to rope him into tagging along for the day’s patrol and Tony wasn’t even surprised at the power Peter had over him.

From his intern’s stories, he knew not to expect much, maybe a mugging here and a stray cat stuck in a tree there. It wasn’t much, he knew, but the kid was doing anything he could and genuinely liked helping people, so that’s all that mattered.

It was late January, the heaters in both of their suits were cranked up and they were sitting on top of Peter’s building with their feet hanging off the ledge.

“I’ve never done this,” Tony admitted. “I’ve lied in a giant donut, but I’ve never just… sat on a rooftop staring out at the city.”

“I thought that was gonna be some euphemism and I was anxious for a second,” Peter sighed in relief with a teasing smile in Tony’s direction. His fingers fiddled with the hem of his mask laying on his other side. “But yeah. It’s nice. Makes you realise how big the world actually is and how much it needs someone to keep it safe.”

“I’ve tried that, kid. It didn’t end well.”

Peter shifted, turning more towards his mentor with his foot beneath his knee. He opened his mouth, about to lecture him, Tony had no doubt, when a _**boom**_ echoed from a few blocks down.

Spider-Man was on his feet in a second, mask tugged over his face and falling off the side of the building, and Tony had to refrain himself from calling after him. Peter had superpowers, he reminded himself. He could handle himself. And then there he was, jumping higher in the air, shooting out another web to catch him with a “Come on, Mr. Stark!”, as if Tony needed a hint to get moving.

What they’re faced with was a bank robbery, a Hulk-sized hole in the back wall, seven gunmen armed to the teeth and a potential hostage situation if is to be judged by the two guards at gunpoint. All in all, a Bad Situation.

Peter jumped right into it, talking up the criminals as if they were old friends, and Tony did his best not to grab him under the arms and fly him away to safety so he could reconsider his idiotic approach.

_Did he have a death wish?_

“I hear they give out credits,” Peter said. “You could try that, but I’m not sure they’d approve you now that you’ve blown a hole in their building.”

The guy closest to him, tall, buff, dark grey ski mask, growled something indiscernible and pointed his gun at the kid, but before he could do anything, the semi-automatic was stuck to the wall with a web.

“Rude. It was just a suggestion.”

“ _Careful, Spider-Man,_ ” Tony warned. He’d been watching from a few steps behind up until then, but moved closer in case Peter needed protection. His movement drew their attention and he saw them tense. Good.

Peter used that chance of distraction and shot out a combination of webs, swinging himself closer to the men with Tony following his every move with his eyes. He wanted to give him space, let him do what he did, but he couldn’t help worrying.

With a kick, Peter had two down and one struggling against a web he’d just cocooned him in. Tony focused on the kid’s other side, shooting simultaneous blasts at two of the thugs who’d decided to take aim at the younger superhero.

“Mr. Stark,” Peter called out and Tony could hear the struggle in his voice. “A little help?”

The billionaire launched himself at the man with the grey mask, he seemed like the leader, if Tony had to judge by his distinctive uniform and build. _Heavy_.

“Web ‘em up, kid,” he ordered as he shot down another man. A gunshot echoed, and Tony whipped around with his heart in his throat to see Peter kneeling, gripping his left arm as a grunt escaped his lips. The Grey Mask stood right outside the hole in the wall, a backpack clenched in his fist. He turned to run, but a web cut him short and he slammed down onto his face.

Tony did a quick perimeter check, counting the web-covered criminals. With the one stuck to the wall, they made seven. They weren’t important anymore. The police would handle them. He rushed to Peter’s side, gently removing his bloodstained gloved arm from the wound to have a better look at it.

“It’s just a graze,” he concluded after a few seconds with relief. “Does it hurt a lot?”

“A bit.”

“One to Ten?”

“Four... Five.”

“Okay, let’s get out of here.” Tony wrapped an arm around Peter’s side, making sure his bad arm was out of the way, and shot up into the sky.

Ten minutes later, Tony had his intern in the medical centre of Stark Tower, in the capable and trusty hands of Dr. Helen Cho.

“Can we leave the mask on,” Peter blurted out when Dr. Cho demanded a better look at the laceration. Tony winced.

“About that. I had to brief her in on you. I can’t keep the woman treating you in the dark. It would cause too many complications. I’m sorry, I know I should have asked first, but I trust Helen with my life and she would never reveal your secret.” The teenager kept quiet, processing what his mentor had just told him, but then swiftly pulled off the mask. Peter’s eyebrows were furrowed over his big brown eyes, staring right at Tony. Something was clearly bothering him, and it didn’t seem to be just his revealed identity.

“Suit,” the doctor ordered again and Peter tapped the spider on his chest, grabbing the loose fabric in his fist before it could drop to his waist. “This isn’t going to work. I need your whole arm free.”

The boy tensed and his eyes flickered to Tony again. There was definitely something he was hiding and it set the man on edge.

He thought back and realised that he’d never seen the kid in anything but sweaters, hoodies and jackets. Never a T-shirt, not even when Tony turned up the heating for him at the lab. He’d never seen Peter’s wrists. Cold terror coursed through him. Was he hiding… scars? Was he hurting himself? He couldn’t believe happy, cheerful, bright Peter would do something like that, not… his Peter. Tony’s own fingers strayed to his sweatshirt’s sleeve covering his bond marks. Did Peter not have any? Did he think like Tony once did that he didn’t deserve soulmates because of his crappy luck? He clenched his teeth. He couldn’t let the kid think that, especially considering the bright red line on Tony’s left wrist signifying how special Peter was to him. He nodded at the kid in what he hoped was reassurance. Tony didn’t care if he was the only one who felt the connection they shared, he didn’t care if it would be awkward or if it would hurt. He just wanted Helen to stitch up the wound and give him something for the pain so that Tony could take home his intern, his kid that he’d grown so attached to, and promise him that it was all going to be okay.

Peter screwed his eyes shut and took his arm out of the sleeve, Tony’s eyes immediately glued to it. It wasn’t scars like Tony had feared and it wasn’t bare either. On top of an aqua, a violet and a light blue line glistened a bold golden one. The man’s breath hitched in his throat as his shoulders sagged in relief. Well, at least it wasn’t anything to worry about. Unless Peter was ashamed of having Tony’s line and regretted it, in which case, yeah, it was a lot to worry about.

Tony knew he was a disappointment. Hell, everyone knew that. But he was trying, he was really trying, and having Peter around made him want to do more good constantly. Peter made him want to be worthy of his line. Excitement raced through him despite the cold reality of the situation. He was willing to take the risk, as hard as it was, if it meant that he had at least a slight chance of keeping his intern after that revelation.

With trembling fingers, Tony rolled up his sleeves, exposing his marks, and stalked over to Peter’s side. He saw his eyes take in the lines, the steel grey and the royal blue and the bright red. A small smile tugged at the corner of the teen’s lips and Tony thought it must be infectious because then he was smiling back. Surely it couldn’t be what his mind kept lying him about. Maybe… maybe Peter had just been nervous, the same way as Tony, about it being just one-sided. But it wasn’t. How could it be?

“Kid, you almost gave me a heart attack today,” he laughed as he mussed up Peter’s hair. He wasn’t just talking about the bullet wound. “If you keep that up, I’ll have to ground you.”

“Sorry, Mr. Stark, I usually manage just fine.” The ‘usually’ sparked a thought in Tony’s head, a dangerous one. He wondered if Peter had ever gone home hurt without telling anyone. He couldn’t have that.

“Just promise me one thing. If you’re hurt, you have to tell me.” The kid furrowed his eyebrows in confusion but nodded with a smile nonetheless.

“Always, Mr. Stark.”

“And cut it out with the ‘Mr. Stark.”

“Never, Mr. Stark.”

“ _Peter._ ”

+1

  
  


“Do you want a kid?”

Pepper’s question caught him by surprise. They were having breakfast in the dining room despite Tony’s protests that _no one uses the dining room on the regular_ , but Pepper had been adamant. They’d been officially married for two months now, and Tony still woke up with a disbelieving smile every morning. The thought had crossed his mind but he didn’t want to pressure her until she felt ready, what with her career and responsibilities.

He _wanted_ a kid. He’d hit it off right away with Harley when the kid had helped him and having Peter around always brought a smile across his face. He loved kids. They weren’t serious like everyone else and they didn’t pretend to be something they weren’t. They liked having fun and avoided responsibilities at every chance they got. (Tony realised, but wouldn’t really admit, that he himself was still a child at heart. He blamed his ruined childhood.)

He _wanted_ a kid. And then, he was _terrified_ of having a kid. He battled his insecurities constantly and his mental health still wasn’t in the best place. He had bad habits he was still trying to get rid of. That hardly made him the perfect father material. A big part of him froze every time he thought about that and a little voice inside of him reminded him that he had Howard’s DNA encoded in him. He could just as easily turn out to be an oppressor with a God complex and impossible expectations.

“Tony?” Pepper’s voice brought him back to reality. He cleared his throat and shrugged a shoulder.

“Yeah, of course –”

“That’s great,” she interrupted him, and he noticed she was nervous. _Why was she ner--_ “I’m pregnant.”

Tony blinked at her, mug half-raised to his mouth, heart racing like a wild horse. His eyes clouded over with tears and an ear-splitting smile brightened his face.

He choked out a laugh and all but turned over the table in his rush to wrap his wife in his arms.

“Pepper, that’s _wonderful_.”

“You’re happy?” She had his face in her palms, eyes as wet as his.

“Happy doesn’t even begin to cover it! We’re having a _baby_! Oh my God.” He kissed her, long and sweet, conveying more emotion than his words ever could. He rested their foreheads together and caressed her cheek with a thumb. His eyes widened. “I have to tell Rhodey. We have to make him the godfather.”

“Of course.”

“And we have to tell your parents.”

“We will.”

“And—”

“And you need to calm down,” she laughed. “Peter is coming over this afternoon, so you better call Rhodey before that. You know he’ll never get over not finding out first because you _will_ tell Peter the moment you see him.”

Tony groaned. “He’ll hold a grudge forever. You’re right.”

“I’m always right.”

Tony smiled at her softly, eyes crinkling with love and adoration. He couldn’t help kissing her again.

* * *

Peter had been in the lab for over three hours and Tony had somehow managed to keep his tongue behind his teeth. He didn’t know what was stopping him from telling one of his _soulmates_ something that filled his entire body with joy.

When he’d told Rhodey earlier, his best friend had, unsurprisingly, threatened to kill him for just dumping the news on him over the phone. And then he’d proceeded to congratulate him and point out every two words that he deserved this, he deserved to be happy, as if Rhodey could read his mind even so far away.

Tony took a breath, determined to just get it over with. There was no right time or right way to tell the kid you’ve been co-parenting with his aunt that he’s about to be a big brother. If- if he even wanted to be. What if Peter got detached after Tony told him? What if he--

“What’s up with you,” the kid asked him and Tony looked up at him sharply.

“Nothing,” he blurted out. “Why, what’s up with you?”

_Smooth. Real smooth._

Peter laughed. “You’re all nervous for some reason. I can literally feel you vibrating with anxiety. Is something wrong?” Tony shook his head and dropped the screwdriver he’d been toying around with, smiling up at the teenager.

“Not at all. Just the opposite, actually. I’m just not sure how _you_ would feel about it.”

“Come on, Tony,” Peter grinned. “I’m sure if it makes you happy it could never upset me. Just spit it out already, you’re making me nervous too.”

“Pepper is pregnant.”

There was a moment of stillness, a calm before the storm, while Peter processed that new information. And then he leapt up, flinging himself at Tony and all but choking him in a hug.

The man clapped his back with a muffled laugh, squeezing him just as hard with his other hand. Peter drew back and brushed a sleeve over his eyes.

"That's _amazing_ ," he whispered. "You're gonna be such a great dad to this lucky little human."

"Eh, I have some doubts."

"I don't. You’re a great dad to me too," Peter said with a blush spreading all over his face. It warmed Tony’s broken heart to know the kid had reserved such an important role in his life for him. It made him feel special and loved and not at all like what he’d feared he’s be like as a father, cold and detached like Howard.

Damn it, he hoped Peter was right. He hoped more than anything.

“I just don’t want to screw this up, you know,” he said. “I feel like, this at least, I have to do right.”

“What do you mean, ‘this at least’? You’ve saved the world more than once, both as Iron Man and as Tony Stark, you take care of all your employees and would give everything for the people you love. You’ve done a lot of things right in your life, Tony. Being a great father to your child will just be the next one. Trust me, you have nothing to worry about. Baby Stark is really lucky to have you.”

* * *

It was an easy pregnancy, for Pepper at least. Tony spent the following eight months waking up in cold sweat in the middle of the night and getting random anxiety attacks in the lab. His brain worked restlessly to show him the worst case scenario and prove to him that he would never be a good father, not even as good as Howard had been, and Howard had barely even been a _father_ to him. No matter how many times Pepper and Rhodey and Peter told him he really had _nothing_ to worry about, he found ways to fall back into the rabbit hole.

And then it was _time_ and he was so not ready. He really admired his wife for remaining calm throughout all of it. The car ride, the hospital, the giving birth. She really was his hero. He had a theory that if he hadn’t been as experienced as he was with stressful situations, most of which the fate of the world depended on, he wouldn’t have done as well as he had. He would have dropped down unconscious the moment Pepper had started getting contractions.

Instead, he followed her breathing exercise until he got dizzy and then decided that if she was strong enough to push a human being out of her body, he had to be strong enough not to faint on her. She was doing the heavy lifting, he was just there for support.

He met his daughter on a Tuesday evening. They named her Morgan, after Tony’s uncle. She was more perfect than he could have ever imagined. She was pink and wrinkly and fit perfectly in his arms. She had ten tiny fingers and ten tiny toes and shrieked with a voice as loud as her mother’s when her father was in trouble. He loved her, more than he loved anything, more than he ever would.

She was surrounded by people who loved her and would protect her as fervently as her parents. She was surrounded by people that would help raise her, that would be a fixture in her life she would always be able to lean on. Tony wouldn’t have it any other way.

The first moment he saw her, he was terrified. She was so small and he wasn’t, _he wasn’t_ , _**he wa** _ _**s** _ _**n’t** _ ready. What if he hurt her, what if he held her wrong, what if she started crying, what if--

Pepper didn’t ask him if he was ready. She just stretched her arms in his direction and handed him the tiny fragile person they had created, like it was no big deal.

 _It shouldn’t be a big deal_ , he told himself. _It shouldn’t be a big deal and he should get a hold of himself and act like a functioning adult._

Morgan didn’t start crying. She just cooed, like she was comfortable, and Tony’s eyes took that as a sign it was time to start leaking again.

The first moment he felt her weight in his arms, all his thoughts evaporated. All the bad, all the fear, all the panic, it blinked out like a candle in the wind. All there was, was his daughter. His baby. His chest felt fuller than it ever had, fuller than before he had a hole blown into it and fuller than when all of his soulmates were together, enjoying themselves and laughing, even when it was at him.

If it had been in his line of sight, he would have seen how quickly a line had formed over all of his soul bonds. How quickly it had gone from pale violet to vibrant lilac, in the span of seconds. He would have seen how the new line fit like it had always been there, like it belonged only there and nowhere else.

A tear rolled down his cheek, and then another, as he stared at Morgan’s face, bewildered and fascinated and in love.

“I will always be there for you,” he whispered to her barely audibly, his voice choked and strangled, yet full of adoration. “ _Always_.”

When Rhodey demanded to hold his goddaughter, Tony placed her in his arms reluctantly, so gently as if she would break. Who was to say that she wouldn’t?

His eyes caught sight of the purple stripe. He smiled and turned to look at his family. He wasn’t surprised. He was just grateful. Eternally, unconditionally grateful, that his soulmates, his family, were there for him. That they would keep being there for him, when he made mistakes and when he triumphed. They would be there for him, like he would be there for them. For Rhodey and Pepper and Peter. For Morgan.

**Author's Note:**

> This was absolutely draining to write but I absolutely love it! It took way too long, but it was definitely worth it.
> 
> Please let me know if you liked it! Kudos and comments make me happier than you could imagine! I hope you have a great day! You can also check out my other fics, if you’d like :)
> 
> Find me on tumblr: [ohwriteiforgot](https://ohwriteiforgot.tumblr.com)


End file.
